[[alternative]]Interfacing ASE and HPLC for the determination of PAH in soil

[[abstract]]Abstract As a fast, convenient, and low solvent consuming extraction method, accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) technique has been studied for the analyses of organic compounds followed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). However, many classes of widely-used organic compounds today are semi- or nonvolatiles, such as pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). They are easily separated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Thus, it would be advantageous to interface ASE with an HPLC system to provide easy sample preparation as well as possess high resolving power for semi- and non-volatiles simultaneously. A method was developed to couple an accelerated solvent extraction system (ASE) with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the analysis of PAH in soil samples. The resolution of HPLC is well maintained while the advantages of ASE, fast extraction, less solvent consumption and ease of operation, are well expressed. The precision and accuracy of this method are verified by a series of analyses of reference material (QCS345sample from ERA). And the real sample collected at different sites in Taiwan. The data shows that it is feasible to analyze real samples using this method.

[[alternative]]Studies of the consideration of the lesbians to participate in sports, identity, volition to come out and the willingness to participate in sports

[[abstract]]This research aimed to explore the present situation and the consideration of the lesbians to participate in sports, their identity, their volition to come out and the willingness to participate in sport.. Data collected through the use of a specially designed paper and internet questionnaire of 282 lesbians, and in depth interviews from 11 of them, were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, F-test, scheffe, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise regression, and concluded from the results of the contents of the statistic data and the interview : 1. The sports environment in Taiwan was considerably friendly to lesbians, and lesbians were rather active in sports fields. The salary per month, record of normal schooling, sports skill level, and frequency of sports-taking of these lesbians is sports were also comparably higher than females and other lesbians in Taiwan in general. Lesbians of different sex belongings present life styles in great variety in sports. 2. Two major factors of the lesbians participating in sports were "sports demands" and "identity and activity of the lesbian ". They thought participation in sports had a positive influence on their identity of the lesbians. They had the most willingness to come out in sports gatherings, however, had the least willingness to come out in usual sports occasions. 3. This study confirmed the positive correlations among the consideration to participate in sports, identity, and the occasions to come out. These three factors also affect the willingness and behaviors of the lesbians to participate in sports. The most predictive factors of the willingness of the lesbians to participate in sports were "sports demands", "identity and activity of lesbians", "social identity", and "the situation for the lesbians to come out in sports gatherings".

High Cationic Dispersity Boosted Oxygen Reduction Reactivity in Multi-Element Doped Perovskites

Oxygen-ion conducting perovskite oxides are important functional materials for solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen-permeable membranes operating at high temperatures (>500 °C). Co-doped perovskites have recently shown their potential to boost oxygen-related kinetics, but challenges remain in understanding the underlying mechanisms. This study unveils the local cation arrangement as a new key factor controlling oxygen kinetics in perovskite oxides. By single- and co-doping Nb5+ and Ta5+ into SrCoO3-δ, dominant factors affecting oxygen kinetics, such as lattice geometry, cobalt states, and oxygen vacancies, which are confirmed by neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction as well as high-temperature X-ray absorption spectroscopy, are controlled. The combined experimental and theoretical study unveils that co-doping likely leads to higher cation dispersion at the B-site compared to single-doping. Consequently, a high-entropy configuration enhances oxygen ion migration in the lattice, translating to improved oxygen reduction activity.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storag

Sparsentan in patients with IgA nephropathy: a prespecified interim analysis from a randomised, double-blind, active-controlled clinical trial

Background: Sparsentan is a novel, non-immunosuppressive, single-molecule, dual endothelin and angiotensin receptor antagonist being examined in an ongoing phase 3 trial in adults with IgA nephropathy. We report the prespecified interim analysis of the primary proteinuria efficacy endpoint, and safety. Methods: PROTECT is an international, randomised, double-blind, active-controlled study, being conducted in 134 clinical practice sites in 18 countries. The study examines sparsentan versus irbesartan in adults (aged ≥18 years) with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy and proteinuria of 1·0 g/day or higher despite maximised renin-angiotensin system inhibitor treatment for at least 12 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive sparsentan 400 mg once daily or irbesartan 300 mg once daily, stratified by estimated glomerular filtration rate at screening (30 to 1·75 g/day). The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline to week 36 in urine protein-creatinine ratio based on a 24-h urine sample, assessed using mixed model repeated measures. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were safety endpoints. All endpoints were examined in all participants who received at least one dose of randomised treatment. The study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03762850. Findings: Between Dec 20, 2018, and May 26, 2021, 404 participants were randomly assigned to sparsentan (n=202) or irbesartan (n=202) and received treatment. At week 36, the geometric least squares mean percent change from baseline in urine protein-creatinine ratio was statistically significantly greater in the sparsentan group (-49·8%) than the irbesartan group (-15·1%), resulting in a between-group relative reduction of 41% (least squares mean ratio=0·59; 95% CI 0·51-0·69; p<0·0001). TEAEs with sparsentan were similar to irbesartan. There were no cases of severe oedema, heart failure, hepatotoxicity, or oedema-related discontinuations. Bodyweight changes from baseline were not different between the sparsentan and irbesartan groups. Interpretation: Once-daily treatment with sparsentan produced meaningful reduction in proteinuria compared with irbesartan in adults with IgA nephropathy. Safety of sparsentan was similar to irbesartan. Future analyses after completion of the 2-year double-blind period will show whether these beneficial effects translate into a long-term nephroprotective potential of sparsentan. Funding: Travere Therapeutics